Friday, November 16, 2012
The 46-unit apartment building would be located at 112 Sibley Ave. in Ardmore, next to Suburban Square.
Commissioners, township staff, concerned citizens and apartment representatives met Wednesday night to discuss the tentative sketch plan for a 46-unit, five-story apartment unit to be constructed at 112 Sibley Ave. in Ardmore. Following presentation and comments, commissioners voted to recommend moving the plan forward. A tentative sketch plan, said Assistant Planning Director Chris Leswing, is primarily an opportunity to explore how to preserve natural features of a site and decide where the site’s driveways will go. It is also a time to consider with the orientation of the building and engage resident concerns, he added, several of which have been raised by neighboring condominium building Cambridge Square. Proposed Apartments The 46-…
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The library will close Nov. 24 for repairs if bid awards are approved Wednesday night.
Pending a bid approval at Wednesday night’s Board of Commissioners meeting, the Ardmore Library will close at the end of day on Saturday, Nov. 24 for approximately five months in order to repair leaks and water issues in the building. According to the Lower Merion Library System website, the work to be done in the upcoming months includes: The lowest bids, recommended for approval by the Chief Financial Officer Dean Dortone, total $147,101, and will be paid for by funds from a Community Development Block Grant, according to the Finance Committee agenda. These repairs are being undertaken separately from other planned improvements to the library. In July, Lower Merion commissioners voted to move forward with plans to renovate the Ardmore …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Fees will increase by 9 percent next year in Lower Merion, except for rear yard collection fees, which will see no increase.
Commissioners on Wednesday night were divided on an ordinance that would raise trash and recycling collection fees by 9 percent for 2013, but the board ultimately approved the rate hike, with five commissioners at the meeting voting against it. The 9 percent increase will apply to the base fee for collection, the per-container fee and mini-can fee, but will not increase the cost for rear-yard collection, following an amendment that was proposed and passed during discussion Wednesday evening. Lower Merion's system for garbage and recycling collection was revised in 2010 with the intention that collection fees and the reselling of recyclables would pay for the program entirely, said Chief Financial Officer Dean Dortone. However, the going …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Fifteen department officers are eligible to retire, and four more will become eligible by July 2013.
With a number of Lower Merion Police Department vacancies possible in 2013, the Board of Commissioners took steps on Wednesday night to ensure that the department remains fully staffed. While the police department is authorized to employ 136 officers, 128 are currently on duty, according to a letter from Police Superintendent Michael McGrath to the township manager, dated Sept. 13, 2012. Seven more officers will be hired and sent to the Montgomery County Police Academy on Oct. 1, McGrath said. After filling current vacancies, however, only five names will remain on the approved Civil Service Commission list, created in 2011, of police officer candidates from which the department hires. With 15 officers currently eligible to retire and …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Cross Properties' plan calls for 132 apartments to be constructed in Palmer Seminary's main building and chapel.
Developers are now one step closer to converting Palmer Seminary’s building and chapel, located at the intersection of Lancaster and City Avenue in Wynnewood, into an apartment complex. On Wednesday night, the Building and Planning Committee of the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of Cross Properties’ preliminary plans, which call for the construction of 132 apartments, a pool and a patio on the 7.6 acre seminary property. Of the property's 132 units, 100 will be one-bedroom apartments, said Kenneth Aaron of Weir & Partners, representing the applicant. The residents of the apartment complex, which Aaron anticipates to be largely post-college-age young adults, will also be encouraged to use public transit…
39.988273
-75.255384
6 lancaster ave, wynnewood, pa
/articles/township-approves-preliminary-plans-to-convert-seminary-to-apartments
/locations/6995454
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
After commercial tax settlements, the general fund is too big.
Lower Merion Township's government is holding a public workshop Wednesday, Jan. 25 to discuss what to do with an extra $6.9 million in revenue it had not planned for when budgeting for 2012. In fall 2011, the township learned it would be receiving that amount from settlements over commercial tax bills. However, government accounting laws only allow a municipality's general fund to exceed its planned expenditures by 18 percent, and the $6.9 million would put Lower Merion out of compliance with that rule. Commissioners and residents have made several suggestions for the fate of the money. Those who want to add to the conversation can attend the workshop at 6 p.m. in the second-floor assembly room at 75 E. Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore. Refer to …
40.00651
-75.28833
75 E Lancaster Ave, Ardmore, PA
/articles/town-hall-meeting-what-should-lower-merion-do-with-6-9-million
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Township officials need rail-company assistance.
The Lower Merion Board of Commissioners voted 11-2 Wednesday night to extend by two months the deadline to finalize a development agreement with Dranoff Properties around the Ardmore Transit Center. Officials had planned to finish a plan by Jan. 31, but more time is needed to negotiate with rail companies, township manager Doug Cleland said. The new deadline is March 31. The township has gotten $15.5 million in grants and needs the project to go forward to keep them. Officials have reached out to SEPTA and Amtrak for their help in incorporating existing parking lots into the project area and identifying areas for future "expandability," Cleland said. "The proposed revitalization of Ardmore continues to be an evolving project," Cleland said…
Monday, January 9, 2012
Four contractors' bids all came in over Lower Merion's budget for the project.
Switching Flat Rock Park from septic tank to sewer service will have to wait. In December, bids for the project all came in above Lower Merion Township's budget, something that has happened generally less often in municipal construction bidding since the recession began. AJB Mechanical Inc. offered to connect the riverfront park's restroom building to River Road's sewer line and install a grinder pump station for $37,498, and three other contractors bid more than $60,000. The project's budget is $24,000, parks director Lindsay Taylor said. She has asked the Board of Commissioners to reject the bids at Wednesday's finance committee meeting. "In speaking with the bidders, we learned that there were some ways we can revise the specifications …
40.043997
-75.254021
Flat Rock Park
122 River Rd, Gladwyne, PA
/articles/sewer-connection-to-flat-rock-park-postponed
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Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Democrats Liz Rogan and Paul McElhaney were unchallenged for president and vice president.
Lower Merion's Board of Commissioners began its 2012 term Tuesday night with the same members after all seven incumbents won election in November. The members decided to eschew change in leadership, too. Ward 7's Liz Rogan stayed in the presidency and Ward 3's Paul McElhaney, a fellow member of the Democratic board majority, remained the vice president. Ward 11 Republican Lew Gould cast the only dissenting vote against each. On Tuesday, there were no nominations for either position, unlike last year. When the presidency and vice-presidency became vacant with the resignations of members Bruce Reed and Mark Taylor, the minority Republicans nominated Ward 5's Cheryl Gelber to both positions and Ward 1's Dan Bernheim (who had joined the board …
40.00651
-75.28833
75 E Lancaster Ave, Ardmore, PA
/articles/lower-merion-board-of-commissioners
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Moody's backtracks and reissues 'negative' outlook on county's bond rating; incoming board may be legally unable to revisit 2012 budget.
The heads of Montgomery County's various departments queued up Tuesday before the county's Board of Commissioners to plead their respective budget cases as the county works to close a $44 million budget shortfall. The discussions took place as the county learned that Moody's Investor Service erred last week in calling the outlook on the county's Aaa bond rating "stable." Moody's retains a "negative" outlook for the county's ability to maintain its top-shelf creditworthiness. The pressure on the current board was ratcheted up further by county solicitor James Maza, who said state law may prevent the incoming Board of Commissioners from revisiting the budget in January, even if it wants to. Maza presented the commissioners with a written …
Amanda Mahnke
9:29 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013
Pamela—we'll likely be getting an update on Ardmore Library at Wednesday night's Board of Commissioners meeting. If there's an update, we'll post it shortly after—if not, I'll check in with the library later this week. more ›